LSU football opened its season with a dramatic loss to Florida State, 24-23. It was certainly not the start that the Tigers wanted, but it's a result they will have to live with.

It was never an easy game to watch, especially for LSU fans who harbored such high expectations for their squad.

In the end, Florida State emerged from the ashes with an incredible victory over LSU in front of a raucous crowd at the Caesars Superdome. It included one of the most clutch 99-yard touchdown drives you'll ever witness, followed by one of the most agonizing blocked PATs of all time.

That was a tough loss to swallow. Still, despite LSU football's poor performance, the Tigers had a chance to win. They eventually worked things out in the fourth quarter, but it was just too late. Objectively speaking, LSU accomplished some things well, though in the grand scheme of things they also did many things poorly. Fortunately, the negative aspects can be rapidly remedied.

Keep in mind that coach Brian Kelly has the most victories of any active FBS head coach. Patience is key here because LSU's last coach left the Tigers with a weakened roster. LSU football's fan base must temper their expectations and give the new leadership time to regroup. As Nick Saban and Alabama have demonstrated, Rome was not built in a day. Kelly will get the Tigers to where they want to go, but it won't happen in season one.

Here are three reasons LSU football fans shouldn't panic one game into the Brian Kelly era.

3. LSU football CBs were good

Yes, there were some painful moments for the secondary. Late in the first quarter, Mekhi Garner was eaten alive by a well-designed flea-flicker. FSU's Ontaria Wilson also made an incredible one-handed touchdown grab over Jarrick Bernard-Converse in the third quarter.

As a whole, however, the LSU cornerbacks played well in one-on-one situations and tackled effectively in space. Many plays were prolonged and the squad struggled to cover in the center of the field, but FSU QB Jordan Travis was dumping dimes all over the place. In truth, the secondary was the only thing that kept a lot more huge plays from happening.

That's what happened when the Seminoles got greedy on 4th-and-2 and tried a fade that Sage Ryan ate up in one-on-one coverage. Later in the quarter, LSU deployed a zone blitz that was successful, and Garner made up for his previous blunder with a clean breakup that he nearly tipped to himself for a score.

Colby Richardson also made an excellent pass defense on a deep ball that could have resulted in a touchdown.

There were a few stumbling blocks, particularly on third and long, but LSU's corners were a bright spot for the team in this game.

2. Kayshon Boutte will still be good

The highly touted Kayshon Boutte ended the game with two catches for 20 yards. He was targeted six times and received one drop. Needless to say, those numbers were far less than fans wanted to see. Still, coach Kelly chose to be positive regarding his star WR.

“You know, I think it’s like anything else. Here’s a great player trying to make plays, maybe trying to do a little too much, try to catch the ball before he had it,” Kelly said of Boutte post-game. “I wouldn’t read too much into it. I think he learned tonight that he’s just got to let the game come to him. There’s going to be some nights where he doesn’t get all the balls. There’s so much – that young man has so much on his shoulders. We just got to get to him and tell him to let the game come to him, he’s going to get his catches and not to press as much.”

Coming into the season, Boutte was widely regarded as the best wideout in college football. He was, however, essentially ineffective in LSU's opening game of the season on Sunday. Boutte's bad night came as quite a surprise given all of the preseason hoopla. He had one seven-yard reception and one late 13-yard grab.

LSU is currently 0-1 on the season and returns to action against Southern on Saturday in Week 2. Boutte will be hoping to get back on track, and much will be riding on his ability to accomplish so. LSU fans shouldn't unload on him too much. Even if he seems to have deleted all LSU things from his social media, his talent should rise to the top like cream sooner rather than later.

1. Jayden Daniels still holds promise

Jayden Daniels, a transfer quarterback from Arizona State, started for LSU against Florida State.

Coach Kelly told reporters last week that the staff had decided who would start against the Seminoles, but he did not reveal the selection because he believed it would give the opponent a strategic edge.

Following a poor start, Daniels rallied the Tigers with a fourth-quarter flurry before Damian Ramos' extra-point effort missed on the game's last play.

“We got into a better rhythm certainly in the second half, Jayden did,” Kelly said post-game. “He's a threat.”

Daniels finished the game 25-of-34 for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Tigers in rushing with 114 yards on 16 carries.

“When he did sit in the pocket, he showed great patience,” Kelly added. “And he was able to make good decisions.”

Daniels started over Garrett Nussmeier, despite Kelly saying on the ESPN broadcast just before kickoff that both might play against the Seminoles.

Daniels completed 197 of 301 passes for 2,380 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2021. He is a dynamic quarterback who can be dangerous outside the pocket, as proven when he rushed for 710 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Recall that LSU struggled under center in 2021, utilizing three quarterbacks, including Nussmeier. Max Johnson transferred to Texas A&M, and Jontre Kirklin currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL.

Daniels is honestly their best shot under center this season, and despite the loss, he played with some promise in their season opener.